2002 Voyager parasitic draw on battery

CARMOTION

2002 CHRYSLER

2WD

AUTOMATIC

60,000 MILES

Have a parasitic draw on the battery in a 2002 Chrysler Voyager. The draw goes away only when I pull the "hazards" fuse. Everything works and I put remanufactured dash in thinking that was the problem, but it was not. Any other ideas?

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Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 AT 3:14 AM

10 Replies

CARADIODOC

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26,026 POSTS

What's the symptom and how did you measure the draw?

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Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 AT 4:10 AM

CARMOTION

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The symptom is battery would go dead every 3-4 days. Battery has been replaced with a new one. Test procedure: ran car for 10 mins to charge all capacitors, shut off and then put an amp meter in series with battery post and terminal wire. Measured.8 amps. When I remove the hazard fuse it goes down to 85 ma where it should be. What is in that circut?

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Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 AT 12:11 PM

CARADIODOC

EXPERT

26,026 POSTS

800 milliamps is of course way too much but so is 85 ma. The problem is some of the computers need about 20 minutes to go to "sleep mode". Until then, they could draw up to three amps. This is when the Engine Computer performs some self-tests on emissions components. By 20 minutes it knows you're not just stopping for gas. Once in sleep mode the current drain must be less than 35 ma.

Anytime you open the circuit the computers wake up again and start counting all over. The circuit is opened to insert your ammeter, AND it is opened momentarily when switching the range on your ammeter. Many digital VOMs have a 2 amp scale and a ten amp scale that requires moving the positive meter lead to a different jack. Most meters have a 2 amp fuse to protect the lower ranges but the ten amp jack is not fused or is at least large enough to allow measuring that three amps the computers could draw. You may need to start out on the ten amp scale then wait for the computers to time out, but then there isn't enough accuracy after the decimal point, so you have to switch to a lower scale. Moving the meter lead opens the circuit, the computers wake up when the lead is reconnected, and the two amp fuse blows. The fuse isn't the problem in your van since the computers are only drawing.8 amps. Still, after the computers go to sleep, you might want to switch to a lower scale for more accuracy. Meter range switches are called "break-before-make" switches meaning one range turns off before the next one turns on. Two different switch contacts are never in contact at the same time. Simply switching to a lower range opens the circuit and causes the computers to wake up again.

To solve these problems, disconnect the negative battery cable, then place a jumper wire between the cable and battery post. Connect the meter across that jumper wire. You can start out on the lower range because all current will be flowing through the jumper wire. After half an hour, disconnect one end of the jumper wire. Now current will flow through the meter and the circuit was not broken. The computers will stay in sleep mode. If you want to change the range, simply reconnect the jumper wire first, change the scale, then remove one end of the jumper again.

Caradiodoc

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Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 AT 7:16 PM

CARMOTION

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Thanks, I was aware of the wake up situation and had already been advised to use the jumper wire. BTW. A Chrysler dealer is the one who told me 55ma to 85ma is the correct draw with nothing on and in sleep mode depending on the vans equipment. If all is tested properly and the reading is still high, other than the cluster (which has been replaced with a rebuilt unit), what else could be making the excess draw on that hazard fuse circut?

Also I do not show wake up voltage present with the key on when testing the voilet/brown tracer wire in pin 5 of the (C4 or c5? ) Connecter of the BCM. (Yet the dash works perfectly) This wire runs from the BCM to the cluster which makes the techs I have talked to so far think the BCM is the problem.

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Thursday, February 10th, 2011 AT 1:18 AM

CARADIODOC

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Can you tell me which fuse you're pulling? Reading these service manuals is a miserable pain compared to tv and vcr diagrams. I can't find the electronic signal flasher. It appears it is a circuit built into the integrated power module. That's the computer module under the fuses under the hood.

Caradiodoc

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Thursday, February 10th, 2011 AT 2:47 AM

CARMOTION

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Hi Caradiodoc,
Now after performing the draw test as you outlined, when the car was in total sleep mode the draw was only 13ma. How is that possible? That fuse by the way says "hazards" and it is 20 or 25 amps. It runs the 4 way flashers, the directionals and the digital odometer. Well. I'm not sure that I have a problem at this point. Maybe replacing the cluster DID fix it. Your thoughts?

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Thursday, February 10th, 2011 AT 6:37 PM

CARADIODOC

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13 ma is typical. I don't want to second-guess the guys at the dealership, but when I left in '99, 35 ma was the maximum allowable limit. At 35 ma, they guarantee the engine will start after sitting for three weeks.

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Thursday, February 10th, 2011 AT 7:14 PM

CARMOTION

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Call 5 dealerships and you get 5 diffrent answers! Thank you so much for your help.

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Thursday, February 10th, 2011 AT 7:40 PM

MIFAIRCLOTH

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What is the correct current parasitic draw for 2004 Chevy trailblazer LS two wheel drive 4.2 Liter/(no navigation) with key off, accessories off and doors closed and also in SLEEP MODE:

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Monday, July 7th, 2014 AT 7:48 PM

MIFAIRCLOTH

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In other words what would be excessive current draw for 2004 Chevy trailblazer in amps and miliamps